Collie query - quite urgent

[OldLadyKnowsNothing]

I have a border collie, aged about nine. DS1 just took her out for a pee and she collapsed, shaking, her eyes rolling. She was "out" for maybe a minute, is now back to normal but is panting (it's not that hot here) and her belly is hard and bloated. She doesn't seem to be in pain. DH used Weedol on some of the weeds round here this afternoon, and it's possible she's eaten some grass - do I need to get her to a vet now, or will it be OK to wait till morning and see how she is?

your vet will have an emergency phone number - id ring it now to get some advice. they will tell you if they need to see her now or not.

my pooch ate 2lb of chocolate - i just phoned the number even though it was quite late. best to get advice i think!

Yes, if her stomach is bloated, get on to the emergency vet NOW.

I don't want to scare you but there is a condition known as bloat and it is fatal if not treated fast enough. I'm NOT a vet, this isn't an online diagnosis, I'm just erring on the side of caution as some of the symptoms of bloat are the hard tummy, like a drum, collapse, panting/breatlessness and excessive drinking, salivating, pale gums etc.

Sorry to be so dramatic but better safe than sorry. Please let us know how you get on.

Thinking of you.

Val

Vet.Could be twisted gut,could be poison,could be an epileptic fit.All need her to be seen asap.Hope she is ok.

Thanks. I called and we're taking her in.

I hope so very much she is okay OLKN.

Val x

Thinking of you,glad you are going in,hope all is well.

Thanks again, ladies, I am indebted to you. The vet, like Valhalla, was concerned that it was gastric torsion, which would have killed her fast, and she certainly had all the symptoms - panting, drinking lots, the swollen belly, salivating - but it's not. He checked her over and thinks it was an epileptic fit.

I am soooo relieved; it may recur, it may not, but there are medications of course, and most importantly she's not dead.

And he didn't even want any money!

(I think he didn't fancy the admin tbh. )

phew! My dog had fits, very scary but usually treatable and managable. the first one she had I just stood there staring in horror at her wondering WTF !!

Just remembered, the first one was when I brought my new born daughter into the house, she puked and had a fit before we had even sat down.

I'm so relieved - I had heard of bloat and knew it was bad, but she's never had the slightest problem in the past. She's lying at my feet chewing on a bone atm - the vet was impressed at the state of her teeth!

My childhood dog had epilepsy-and was prescribed valium for when a fit happened. The vet said it may have been linked to a nearby rape field-maybe try to avoid those?

(and obviously good luck!) Meant to add that my dog lived a long and happy life despite this, it was just unverving for us at first! Pleased you are both ok.

itsazoohere, I do live on a farm, but it's mostly cattle/cattle fodder being grown round here, not rape. But thanks for the suggestion; I'm really Ok that's it's epilepsy. Vet did mention the canine equivalent of rectal valium lol! He also said she won't need treatment unless it starts happening frequently, more than twice a month. At the moment I'm probably kidding myself that it's a one-off, but at least if/when it happens again I'll know what it is.

The last dog I had, that collapsed regularly, was a very elderly mongrel terrier, who had heart failure. I was amazed at how long he lasted with medications, I really thought it'd be the needle right away.

The collie's only nine, I'm expecting a good few years out of her yet.

Am so glad it wasn't bloat,have been checking for news. Wishing you many more collie-filled years

Thanks.

Off to bed now.

Thank god for that, And what a lovely vet!

Fits are scary, but managable. My first dog suffered them too, but lived to a good age, and medicine has come a long, long way since.

I found that over-excitement and, would you believe, swimming were the triggers for my boy. Might be wise to avoid these?

The other thing I'd say is that you look out for warning signs, in particular "spacing out", staring into nothing whereby distraction doesn't bring her to immediately focus on you. Also try to make your home as safe as possible so that, heaven forbid, if she does fit again, she can't injure herself on things like the edges of coffee tables and the like.

The rescue I help out at has a few epi dogs and has quite a reputation for their expertise in the condition. One dog there seems to be set off by the low-level, white noise of the rescue's pc, which may be something else to keep your girl away from. If you do experience any more problems do give me a shout as they have loads of resources and advice on their forum.

I very much hope that this was a one off though and send loads of hugs to your little lady.

I am glad she is OK for now.

My dog has siezures, but although no cause had yet been diagnosed, my vet told me there are 'a million and one' causes and epilepsy is only one of them. That said, the siezures have been getting less and less frequent, which is wonderful.

Thanks again. I'll be keeping a close eye on her behaviours and see if I can figure out any triggers.

Happy to report that she is absolutely normal today.